Sticks and Stones
by SomethingCalledLife
Summary: Being vulnerable is the last thing Hermione ever wanted to show others. But she was still human and she was allowed to feel emotions; especially when life decides to kick her while she was down.
1. Chapter 1

Hermione Granger did not know when it all happened. Her once perfectly planned life was now up in flames, or maybe it never even started. It seemed like after the war, nothing was ever the same.

After dating for a whole year, she and Ron broke up; well it was more like he did the breaking while she tried to make it all better. They were both unhappy, but she was still willing to make it work, he—well he just didn't want to try. It resulted in a terrible fight where she called him a selfish pig and he called her an annoying, overbearing, controlling ass, prudish bitch. Mind said feelings were hurt (hers) and they haven't talk like they used to in over three years. That fight strained their friendship and even more after Ron and Lavender got back together and then gotten married.

Rumor was he was seeing her while they were dating. She never confronted anyone of it, but her pride was indefinitely damaged. If it was one thing she treasured more than her intelligence, it was her pride.

Oh, she went to the wedding, out of courtesy and because Ginny begged and pleaded for her to come, but she quickly left after the couple said their 'I do's'. She always thought it would be Ron and her saying their vows in front of their friends and family, but it seemed all her good luck was used up during the war. Maybe her happily ever after was to come out of the war alive and that was it.

Soon afterwards, Harry and Ginny decided to tie the knot. She was happy for them, she was, but at the same time it made her a little sad. She was on her own now and even though she visited them, it was still awkward to be in the room with the lovey-dovey couple. Truth be told, it almost always made her feel sick at the whole love scene.

So here she was once again staying late at work, anything to make her not go home anymore. All she did was check file after file of medicines being made, tested, and bought at St. Mungo's. Her job wasn't as thrilling as she first thought it would be, but it kept her rent paid and, most importantly, away from going home.

It was just unbearable. Her once quaint and comfortable home now made her feel lonely and when she felt lonely, she felt like drinking and when she felt like drinking she felt like crying and she clearly didn't want to spend another day with a hangover.

A bitter laugh almost escaped her small lips. Who would have known that Hermione Granger, Miss-Know-It-All, the perfect little mudblood would be reduced to this.

The friendships she used to hold close was almost gone—barely hanging by a thread. Her bright future was now a dull and lightless present and her past was just filled with darkness.

A loud stack of files being thrown on her desk forced her to pull herself from her thoughts. She looked up and let out a small scowl at the high stack.

"Are you kidding me?" She asked annoyed. "Blaise, how the hell am I going to finish all of this?"

"You shouldn't swear so much," he said then grinned impishly. "And Boss Man wants these done by the end of the day."

"I can swear all I bloody like to," she growled. "And can you please tell, Malfoy, I can't always be on his beck and call."

"Please," he rolled his eyes. He turned to walk out of her office while still talking to her over his shoulders. "Quit while you're ahead. We all know you have no where else to go."

She stared at the empty spot. She was always being insulted one way or another. She should be used to it by now. If it wasn't by strangers than it was by her friends, no matter how hard they try to be discreet. Please, she was Hermione Granger, she knew all. She told herself constantly that words should not bother her so much. They were nothing, but that…words. That's right; they did not bother her at all.

Hermione let out a snort. Right, she should have been a Slytherin instead of a Gryffindor with all the lying she did. At least then there would have been a reason for all of her cowardliness.

Letting out a deep sigh she grabbed a file and went through it, her pen signing her name over the approved papers.

"Right. I have no where else to go to."

* * *

Hermione ran a frustrated hand through her hair. There was no way what she was reading was correct. The file she currently held in her hands told her they ordered three times as much of Reconstruction Growth Bone potions than what was needed.

She let out a sigh as she reread the file. There was no denying it. The mistake had been made and now she had to deal with Malfoy. Great, and this was her last one for the day.

Walking down the empty hall, she headed straight to the elevator and pressed the button. Her eyes met her reflection through the stainless steel doors as she waited or the well-known _ding_. A frown formed on her face. She was twenty-two and her face looked like she was prematurely aging. Her hair was pulled back with frizzy strands framing her face and she looked worn out. She was a mess and it wasn't getting any better. Maybe this is the reason why no man wanted to be with her.

The elevator doors opened, obscuring her view of her hideous face and Hermione stepped in pressing for the top floor. Moments passed and the doors opened once again. She stepped out and walked down the aisles of many cubicle offices. She always wondered why she was on her own on the first floor. It probably had to do something about keeping the mudblood away. She didn't know, she learned (after so many years) to keep her mouth shut. It never brought her any good anyways.

As her feet brought her closer to Malfoy's closed office she heard a soft growl and a few moans. She paused and wondered if she really wanted to bother him for this silly little mistake. A small smile formed on her lips. Hell yeah she wanted to. The little bastard deserved it.

She knocked loudly and giggled softly as she heard a muffled curse and a squeal.

"What?"

"Mr. Malfoy I have something here you might want to see." She grimaced at the polite introductions.

"Granger?! What are you still doing here? Never mind…" She heard some shuffling. "Just get the hell away."

"But you might really want to see this," she said and she wasn't kidding. Ever since he bought the company he was really hell bent on mistakes.

"Do as you're told, Granger. Someone as yourself should be competent to at least know what that means." Hermione frowned at the giggle she heard through the door.

"I thought you wanted to know that your HIV test results finally came in." She let out a satisfied smile as she heard a scream followed by a loud thud.

"You're what?!" The door swung open and out came a pretty redhead struggling to put on her shirt back on. Her face was flushed with anger. Who knew Malfoy would date a redhead when he gave Ron so much grief.

"Wait…she's ly—." Hermione flinched at the loud smack that resonated throughout the floor. She almost felt sorry for the lad, especially when she saw the red mark forming on his cheek.

His angry gaze came in contact with Hermione as the red head left the floor and she forced herself to not step back. They were alone and any moment he could finally kill her. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to act on her revenge. _Oh, Hermione, when will you ever learn?_

"You think this is funny?" His eyes narrowed down.

"Look, I had to get you out of there somehow. You wouldn't listen to me," she started protesting.

"So that's your excuse? Just because you can't get laid doesn't mean you can bloody well take it out on me."

"What does that have to do with anything?! I asked you twice to come out and you kept shooing me away. How else was I supposed to get you to come out?" Hermione felt her body tense as she heard his comment.

"Knock!"

"I did!" She nearly shouted. "And all you told me was to go away. Look if you can just check this file out I'll be out of your way."

"No wonder the Weasel didn't want you. It must have been a relief to leave your sorry ass," he sneered, his eyes glinting with evil malice. "Is that why not even Potter likes to spend time with you either? Because you'll just nag his ears off to death?"

His words finally got under her skin. She hasn't felt like this since her first year at Hogwarts. She thought she was immune to his cruel words already. It shouldn't bother her anymore. She shouldn't feel like her stomach would just keep twisting and twisting until it would finally snap.

Hermione pressed her lips together in a tight line and mentally counted to ten as she felt pressure build in her eyes. She was not going to look weak in front of Malfoy. She was not going to start crying, she was not.

God she needed a drink. Just one drink to make it better. Just one.

"Granger?" Malfoy looked at her uncertainly. He saw the rapid exchange of emotions in her face and it worried him (just a little) that he may have gone too far. He inwardly cursed at himself for his foolishness. He was a grown man; he shouldn't be acting this way towards her. She has done nothing except her job ever since he took over.

At first he was thrilled to find out that he was going to be her boss, but once he saw her for the first time in over five years he noticed that she changed.

She was always working late (big surprise) and he couldn't remember the last time she ever taken a vacation. He was actually surprised to hear that the Golden Trio was no more and that she has become an alcoholic. No one told him, but he was Draco Malfoy after all. He knew people and they were bound to bring him the latest update. Not to mention the dozens of bottles he found in her bottom desk drawer when he was snooping around one day.

"I need to go." Draco focused back to the person in front of him and saw her face blank. He didn't know what she was thinking and he didn't know how to fix this mistake. So instead he watched her leave his presence and his floor. A hand went through his hair and he sighed. He clearly fucked up. So much for changing for the greater good.

* * *

Hermione swallowed another mouthful of Vodka. Her feet were resting on her desk, on top of the completed paperwork. She didn't care that it was nearly 3 in the morning. She didn't care that she had work in a few hours. What she did care though was that she wasn't drunk. She was buzzed alright, but she could still think. She didn't want to think.

She was just so sick of everything; of her ungrateful job, of her lonely life. She was tired of fighting, tired of getting up everyday only to come here to end up being insulted over and over again. She was Hermione Granger damn it! She was smart (was she?) there were places she deserved to go (was there?). She was going to be somebody besides Harry Potter's friend. Did it happen? No. The only other titled she ever earned was Ron Weasley's ex.

_Why do you fight it so hard, Granger?_ She lifted the vodka bottle to her lips. The water look a like fluid burned down her throat. Her vision became blurry and finally, no longer able to fight, let the tears fall. _Mudbloods don't deserve to be remembered._

* * *

"Shit, man," Blaise said as he walked in. He saw a figure resting against the far corner of the desk and frowned as he noticed that it was Granger on the floor, with (many) bottles of alcohol surrounding her.

"Granger?" he asked softly.

"What time is it, Blaise?"

"It's 9 o' clock. Were you here the whole night, Granger?"

"You know I'm the only one that's always being called by my last name." Blaise frowned at the change of subject. He walked closer until he had a perfect view of her. Granger had her arms wrapped around her knees with her chin resting on them. Her eyes were unfocused, staring straight ahead towards the wall. "I wonder if they even know my first name. Probably not."

Blaise shifted uncomfortable at the scene in front of him. He never had seen this side of the girl. She always looked so strong, so untouchable. Now she looked like a sad woman with so much weight on her shoulders.

"Mudbloods don't deserve to be remembered," she whispered. Blaise realized she wasn't talking to him but to herself. Probably has the moment he said the time. What caused this dramatic change? He saw her grab a random bottle and lift it to her lips. He didn't tell her that it was empty, just like all the rest surrounding her. She pulled the bottle away and frowned. "Damn, I'm out."

Thinking back to her question, he realized she was right. Of course she was. This was Granger. She was always right. Nobody in this building took notice of the witch. Everybody always called her by her last name, as if her first name wasn't meant to be said out loud. It was (dare he say it?) disappointing to see the once star pupil of her class be reduced to this.

"Better hurry and get sober before Boss Man comes down to check on you."

"It's fine. He never does. Besides I am sober. These are nothing compared to what I have at home."

"You still look like shit, though. And you never know, today could be the day he does, Hermione." Her head snapped up to the sound of her first name. She saw a shy smile form on his lips.

Blaise turned around and headed out of her office. She could only watch him in amazement. A few seconds later a frown formed onto her lips. It was nothing she should get her panties in a twist for. So what he called her by her first name, big whoop. Let's not call for a parade, shall we?

The thirst for more alcohol burned on her throat and she searched for a bottle with at least a drop of liquor.

* * *

"Hey." Draco looked up after furiously scribbling down a note on his notepad.

"What do you need, Blaise?" He said, his focus going back to reading a report on his desk; the same one Granger left the night before when he lashed out on her. "I'm kind of busy right now."

"It's about Hermione."

Draco forced himself to not flinch at the sound of her name; his eyes were locked on the report. It had taken him forever to go to sleep after what he did to her. Contrary to everyone's beliefs, he did feel guilty whenever he acted vile to someone. He was just good at hiding it. It wouldn't look good for the son of Lucius Malfoy to be seen being kind to others outside their house. "Since when have you called her by her first name?"

"Not important," he said shrugging slightly.

"What is it then?" Draco put down his pen and leaned back on his chair. His whole attention was on him now.

"Look, long story short I don't think she's okay."

"Why do you say that?" Guilt began to set in, but he managed to keep his face from showing it.

"She spent the whole night here drinking," he saw Draco raise an eyebrow in surprise. "I'm not trying to get her in trouble; I'm just saying there's something wrong. She's not okay. I just think if she had someone to be with she wouldn't be so sad."

"She has friends." He tried to reason.

"What friends? The only ones she hangs out with are Potter and that Weasly girl and she still doesn't hang with them like in the past."

"What do you want me to do, Blaise?" Draco rubbed a hand down his face.

"Just, I don't know, take her out or something. I'm pretty sure she hasn't had one night of freedom and fun since the war…hell since before Hogwarts. It was always for her about helping Potter or becoming the best at school." Blaise shrugged and stared down at Draco. "Just make sure she has fun."

Draco watched as his friend walked out of his office. A frown formed on his lips as he recalled what Blaise told him. Why must everything in his life be so complicated? He almost wished he were like one of those muggle boys. They clearly didn't have to go through with this.

He looked down at the report he was working on. This piece of paper is what started this mess in the first place. Then again, if he had answered Granger when she first called for him instead of fooling around with his assistant, then he wouldn't be worrying about her as well. Couldn't blame the useless paper for everything.

It was time to pay for his actions, anyways. Through all the years he acted like a jerk, it was bound karma would come back and knock him down a few steps.


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione held a piece of her hair in front of her and eyed the ends. It was beginning to form split ends and it was due time that she had another haircut. A sigh escaped her lips as she let go of her hair. She eyed her office for anything to work on. She had already finished today's pile and reorganized her office. Not like she needed it anyways, the place was already spotless.

Her eyes went to her bottom desk drawer as the taste for alcohol returned. What a pity. She already drank all she held there and there wouldn't be anymore until she restocked.

Maybe she could leave early to drink the ones she had at home?

A knock made her look towards her door and she scowled at the sight of the person.

"What do you want?" She grumbled. "You didn't have your fill yesterday?"

"I wanted…" he paused. Hermione watched him hesitate and shift from one foot to another. She lifted her eyebrow at the scene. It was almost as if he was nervous. She almost snorted at the thought. Yeah, that would be the day; and then pigs would fly. No, she shouldn't say that since she recalled there were magical creatures out there in a shape of a pig with wings.

"I don't have all day you know?" She waved her hand to signal for him to hurry up.

"Um…right." He coughed into his hand. He ran a hand through his hair and then let out a deep sigh. "Look, Granger, I just wanted to apologize for what I said yesterday. I had no right to behave the way I did."

Hermione took in a sharp breath in surprise. Well…she clearly wasn't expecting that. What happened? Did he fall down or something between yesterday and today?

He clearly saw her disbelief because then he added. "I know it may be hard to believe, but I do feel bad. And for that I wanted to make it up to you."

"And by that, what exactly do you mean?" She said warily. This had to be a trap. Right?

He let out a small smirk. Now there was the Malfoy she knew and hated. "By taking you out, of course."

Hermione furrowed her eyebrows in anger. "I don't need your pity party, so you can tell whoever set you up for this to shove it."

"First of all, no one can tell me what to do, alright? And second, I'm doing this because I want to," Malfoy said, leaning against the doorframe. He shoved his hands in his pockets and stared hard at her. "So what time do I pick you up?"

"Who said I was accepting your invitation?" She turned her head away from him.

"Says that paycheck of yours with my signature on it."

Hermione pressed her lips into a tight line. There was no getting out of it, was there? She stared at him for a second before losing her composure and letting out another sigh.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I can…and because I want to." He then turned around and left, but not before saying over his shoulder, "I'll pick you up at your place tonight at 7 then."

Hermione looked at the clock behind her and quickly stood up, sending papers to fall towards the ground. "Crap, that's in three hours."

She paused as she thought it over. This was perfect. Now, she could definitely go home early. The only problem was: what was she going to wear? Damn.

* * *

"This isn't going to do."

Hermione looked down at the dress she was currently wearing. It wasn't classy, but it was nice enough to wear to a restaurant.

"What's wrong with it?" She frowned. Malfoy ignored her question and walked straight in her bedroom and into her closet. It was lucky she was finished dressing because he just apparated into her apartment as if he owned the place.

"Here, put this on." He pulled out a pair of jeans and yellow blouse. Hermione raised her eyebrow at the choice of clothing. It wasn't like they didn't go together. The type of jeans and blouse were nice, but she expected him to pick a high string dress for her to wear, not everyday clothes.

Hermione shrugged, grabbed the clothing, and headed straight to the bathroom. When she came out, Malfoy nodded in approval and lifted his hand towards her. She stared at it in suspicion.

"I'm not going to bite, Granger," Malfoy sighed. "How else are you going to know where I'm taking you?"

"Can't you just tell me and I'll meet you there?" She asked.

"Ah, but that would ruin the surprise." He smirked. Hermione let out a sigh of her own and put her hand in his and he gripped it tight. She noticed that his hand were soft and cool. It felt almost…nice. She shook her head at her thoughts. Let's not go there. Going down that road will do nothing for you.

They both apparated and she felt the sensation of being suspended in air for a second before her feet touched the hard ground. She looked around and her eyes widened in surprise.

"This is a…You took me to a…" She couldn't get the words out. It was such a surprise.

"A carnival?" He smirked at her being speechless. Her eyes sparkled with happiness and he felt that bubble of satisfaction in knowing that he was the cause of that.

"I'd never expected of you to know what that word was," she said, looking at Malfoy then at all the rides and the smiling faces of those around her.

"There are some muggle things I do like." He shrugged. He was watching her looking all over the place.

"I wouldn't have pegged you as someone who would like any muggle things. If I remember correctly you used to despise anything muggle related."

"Like I said, there are some things I can't complain about." Hermione turned her head and saw him looking at her. She gave a small shy smile before turning back to the scene in around her.

"You hungry? I've been craving some cotton candy for a while now." She couldn't stop the bubble of laughter as she was dragged towards a stand. Draco let out a smile of his own when he heard her laugh. It was nice. Seeing her smile instead of her tears.

* * *

"And then what?" Hermione said as she sat on a swing. They left the carnival a while ago and were now hanging around the park. She was hugging a stuffed bear that he won for her.

"And nothing. I just left him there groaning on the ground. He was in pain from jumping on my bed for a week." Draco said, smiling as he heard another laugh coming from those lips. He had been making her laugh all night and he couldn't quite complain that it wasn't fun.

"When was this?"

"A month ago." He stated.

"That must be why Blaise was limping around the office. He told me it was because he got into a fight."

Draco let out snort. "Yeah, okay, whatever helps him sleep at night."

Hermione let out a contended sigh as she tilted her head towards the sky. The stars were shining brightly this night, almost as if they shared her joy at this moment. Who would have guessed that she would have such a good time with Draco Malfoy?

She felt a pair of hands on her back and looked behind her to find Draco. He gave a smile before pushing her slightly. She gave a smile of her own before turning around and hugging the bear tightly. She felt air rush between her hair and she closed her eyes in bliss.

* * *

Hermione sat at her desk with a glazed look. She let out a smile as the thoughts from last night went through her head. Her head was so wrapped up in her thoughts; she failed to realize that Blaise was trying to catch her attention. She blushed a little as she apologized.

"Well, well, well. Seems like someone had fun last night." Another blush formed on her cheeks. "I must be right if you're blushing like that."

"Sorry, Blaise. I just had uh…a lot on my mind." She shuffled through her papers.

"Don't give me that. So, what happened last night? Where did Boss Man take you?" Blaise grabbed a chair and sat in front of her.

She looked at him in surprise. "How do you know me and Draco went out last night?"

"Look at you, first with the blushing and now you're on first name basis with the man."

Hermione flushed at his words. "Just answer the question."

"Well if you must know, it's because I was the one who suggested it, of course. Now, don't give me that frown. I clearly didn't tell him where to take you or even if he was going to listen to me. You know how he doesn't do anything he doesn't want to do."

"I guess you're right." Hermione pondered before shrugging. "Well, he took me to a carnival and then we just talked all night."

Blaise whistled. "Seems like you guys had fun."

"Yeah, it was nice," she whispered.

"So what? No action?" Blaise questioned.

"Blaise!" She felt her cheeks flame up.

He shrugged. "Come on, there had to be something?"

"Well, he did give me a kiss good night when he dropped me off," she said shyly. Her eyes avoided looking at him. It was strange how silly she was being. She was a grown woman, not some silly fifth year.

"That's it?"

"Blaise!"

"What? I'm just saying."

* * *

For the next few months, Hermione and Draco went out on various dates. Some were places as fun as the carnival and others were just simple picnics at the park. Hermione felt like she was floating on cloud nine.

For a long time she had been living in despair and now thanks to Draco she felt like she couldn't have been happier. He has truly changed since Hogwarts and she could honestly say he treated her unlike Ron ever did.

She even gained a new friend: Blaise. He had become her new go to gossip friend and every date, every blissful thought, and every dream has been shared with him and vice versa. He had become an important aspect in her life and she couldn't have wished anything better.

Hermione stared down at the bracelet on her wrist that was given to her on their fourth date. That was the day he asked her to be his girlfriend and bought her a little gift to smooth the transition. She let out a small laugh at how he tried to bribe her in case she had second thoughts.

His sheepish look mixed with a smirk always got to her and she knew she would cherish that moment forever.

A frown formed onto her small lips at the pile of paperwork she had to finish today. She felt anxious as her mind turned to the date Draco had planned for her tonight. He mentioned about taking her to a muggle movie and she couldn't wait to see his reaction when he finally sees it. Muggle movies were definitely different than wizardry photography.

She looked to the clock and noticed that he was late. Every time he would set up a date with her, he would pick her up from her office, they would apparate together to her apartment, and from there he would pick what was appropriate to wear, just like on their first date. And it wasn't because he was controlling, far from it actually, he just would never tell where they were headed since he liked his surprises so much. Sometimes it would be at a high class restaurant and the next time it would be just a walk down the beach.

The sound of her clock chiming startled her out of her thoughts and Hermione let out a sigh in relief that the day was over. She waited for him to come strutting through the door, lean against her doorframe, and let out that infuriating smirk of his that she's come to both love and hate, but nothing happened. Her floor was quiet except for the occasional sound of the elevator bell dinging and sounds of footsteps and chattering heading out the front door.

She let out a sigh and realized that she was the one who was going to have to go all the way up to the top floor to get him. He must have lost track of time and had a lot of work. It's happened to her a few times.

Running a hand through her hair, Hermione packed up her things and headed towards the top floor. Heading out of the elevator, she ran her hands through her hair and checked herself in the reflection of one the windows from the offices she was passing.

A smile broke out when she saw she looked presentable and headed up towards Draco's office. As she got closer, she began to slow down. Shouting could be heard through the closed door.

"How could you do that? Were you thinking at all?!" Hermione frowned as she recognized Blaise's voice.

Blaise was always a go happy kind of guy. For something to set him off it had to be big. The door swiftly opened and she rushed to hide in a corner where the shadows could cover over her form.

A flash of red passed by and her heart sank then begin to beat frantically. With her breath caught in her throat, her eyes followed the form.

Draco's secretary was buttoning up her blouse and Hermione couldn't help, but notice the smear of lipstick on her lips as well as the tousled hair. She could have sworn she saw it perfectly straightened at lunch.

She felt her ears ring at the next form of words that sprouted from Blaise's lips.

"How could you fuck her when you're dating Hermione?!"

So that was it. Blaise must have walked in on them fooling (fucking) around in Draco's office.

She knew it was too good to be true, but part of her hoped that maybe this time she was going to get her happily ever after.

"How long have you and Sharon been doing this?"

So her name was Sharon, huh? There was more talking, but Hermione tuned them out. The sound of a zipper instead caught her attention. Sharon was grabbing her purse to head home and Hermione's eyes strayed to the front of her blouse. The first two was still unbuttoned.

Hermione was always a rational kind of person. She was known through school of how logical she was and someone who would always think things through, but tonight that was not her. She was not the smartest witch in the wizardry world, but a woman who got her heart broken and when a woman gets her heartbroken she doesn't think things through. Or that's what she tried to tell herself as she found herself taking a step forward and standing in front of Sharon.

She didn't know what she was going to do. Part of her wanted to jump the woman and scratch her eyes out and another part just wanted to sit in a corner and cry.

The redhead looked up and Hermione expected for the woman's eyes to grow wide, but of course that didn't happen. Instead she gave her a calculating stare and then slowly let out a smirk.

It was worse than she thought; Draco and Sharon were a match made in heaven. They had to be if they both could smirk like that, like an I-won-you-lost-now-what type of smirk.

Sharon looked through her purse like she was before she was interrupted and pulled out her keys. She gave another triumphant look at Hermione before turning around and walking down to the elevator.

She said over her shoulder just before heading through the elevator doors, "That was a nice trick you played a couple of months ago. I believed it for a while until I learned the truth. Tell me, does he make the same noises with you as he does with me?"

Hermione didn't know how long she stood there. She was analyzing every date she had with Draco. Was she boring, did she do something wrong? Was it because she didn't have sex with him yet? That had to be it if she couldn't keep first Ron and now Draco. That had to be if she was so easy to be cheated on.

"Hermione?" She turned and saw Blaise looking at her with concern. He worried that she may have heard and his fear was confirmed when he took a step towards her and she took one back. He saw her eyes stray to the side of him and knew why when he turned and saw Draco staring at her with a hand on his head and widened eyes.

Blaise took in a sharp breath when he noticed the stain of lipstick on Draco's shirt and when he turned back and saw Hermione's pale face; he knew she did as well. He felt his heart clench when he saw her begin to blink rapidly.

Hermione shook her head. Her vision was getting blurry and she knew any minute now she wouldn't be able to hold the tears any longer. "It's not supposed to happen this way. It's supposed to be my turn. _My turn_. It's not fair, I'm supposed to be happy damn it!"

Blaise flinched as he heard her voice crack at the end. He took a step towards her again, but stopped when she shook her head forcibly before apparating.

"You better fix this," he said turning to Draco. He was looking down and clenching his fist.

"What if I lost her for good?" He says. He frowned and rubbed his eyes. Blaise knew it wasn't because he was tired. "You saw how she was when Weasley broke her."

"Then you better pray that Fate is with you tonight," Blaise spat out and walked down the hall.

"Where are you going?"

Blaise paused, one hand raising on the doorknob. He said with his back facing to Draco, "To get Sharon. She's not getting away with this so easily. I'll make sure to teach her what happens when you play with potions against two of Snape's top students."


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione found herself standing in front of Harry and Ginny's home. She hesitated for a second and then knocked. She didn't know what compelled her to go to their house, just that she didn't want to be alone. She felt her eyes begin to water again and cursed herself for her lack of control before rubbing her eyes.

Her breath was coming out in quiet short gasps and it was becoming harder for her to breathe properly. That was how Ginny found her when she opened the door.

"Hermione? What's wrong?" Ginny ushered her in quickly and shut the door with a loud slam. She looked at Hermione and felt her concern grow as she saw Hermione's red eyes. She hasn't seen her like this since her and Ron broke up.

She brought Hermione to her couch and sat her down. She levitated some tea and set it on the coffee table in front of them.

Soft broken sobs escaped Hermione as she explained to Ginny what happened. She stayed quiet through the whole explanation and pursed her lips in disapproval.

Ginny feared this would happen. Hermione was a strong person, but when it came to the matters of the heart she was as soft as any other woman. At first when she heard she was dating Malfoy, she disapproved but when she saw how happy he made her, well, how could she ruin her happiness? After everything that happened between Ron and her and how broken Hermione was, she deserved some happiness in her life.

"What's wrong with me, Ginny? Am I really that horrible to stay with?" Hermione cried.

"No, of course not," Ginny said softly while rubbing Hermione's hair as she cried onto her shoulder. She wrapped her arms tighter around her. Hermione cried for a good while in her arms before finally falling asleep.

She heard a noise and turned her head around. She let out a grim smile when she saw who it was. Harry was sitting on the ground with his head resting on the wall. He had his eyes closed and slowly opened them when he heard his wife's voice.

"So I'm guessing you heard," Ginny said while gently unwrapping her arms from Hermione's form.

He nodded and let out a sigh. He ran a hand down his tired face and got up. Harry began to pace until ending up hovering over Hermione's sleeping form. A pair of arms wrapped around his waist and he covered his hands with Ginny's on his stomach.

"After everything that happened, I always thought I was the one who ended with the short stick. Growing up with an Aunt and Uncle who hated me, having Voldemort trying to kill me, and dealing with rumors because of who I am. It was tiring, but I think it was Hermione who had ended up with it. I always took her for granted and no matter what I never thought about how she felt, no one did."

Ginny's arms tightened around his waist. "No one could have thought any of this was going to happen."

"But I was supposed to be there for her. In the end, we all left her alone."

Silence filled the room until there was a loud pop in the kitchen. "Oh god, I forgot." Ginny released her hold on her husband. Her face filled with panic. "Ron and Lavender are supposed to be coming today."

"I'll try to get rid of them." Ginny watched Harry walk to the kitchen. A sudden noise coming from the couch brought her attention on the once sleeping woman.

"I need some water," Hermione groaned rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She stood up from the couch and stretched her arms. "Sorry Ginny for bothering you. I'll just get a quick drink and get out of your way."

"Nonsense, I'll get it for you," Ginny said nervously.

"No, you shouldn't be doing so much while you're pregnant. You go sit down," Hermione insisted.

"It's okay. I need to keep my legs moving anyways. You know how restless I get," Hermione watched Ginny suspiciously as she saw her wring her hands.

"I guess you—," a small boy ran out of the kitchen and into the living room.

"Aunt Ginny I missed you," he hugged Ginny. Hermione stared at the boy and then paled. No, it couldn't be. Ginny stared back apologetically.

"Hermione, I'm so sorry," Hermione stood up quickly and was about to apparate when Ron and Lavender walked in the room.

All three of them stared at each other before her eyes strayed down to Lavender's swollen stomach.

Harry rushed into the living room and stood on the side-line with his wife. Like Ginny, he was nervous at what would happen. This is the first time she seen them since the wedding, Hermione didn't even know that they had a child let alone another one on the way. She remembered bitterly that in her rush to get out of the wedding, she failed to acknowledge the small bundle of infant in Mrs. Weasely's arms. Her head began to pound. This was not her day.

"Mommy, who's that?" the little boy asked pulling Lavender's pants to get her attention. She shushed him before looking at Ron helplessly. Ron ignored her and continued to stare at Hermione quietly.

Hermione's attention was on the boy and figured that he was around three years old. She and Ron broke up three years ago. She didn't have to be a genius to do the math. It took nine months just to carry to term after all. How _long_ did he cheat on her?

She was beyond humiliated today. If it was one thing Ron was always good at it was making her look foolish. That would have been her if he stayed with her. Maybe she was never meant to have the family she always wanted. The wedding would have been depressing anyways, her family was dead and was not going to be there, so yeah, who wanted one anyways?

_I do._

"I'm just a very old friend," she swallowed. She ran a hand through her hair before slumping her shoulders in defeat. A heavy sigh escaped her before she said, "I'm going to go."

"Hermione, wait," Ginny said. "Don't go, not yet."

"I think I should," she eyed at the silent couple awkwardly shuffling their feet.

"Here," the little boy went up to her and gave her a piece of candy from his pocket. "Daddy said that when pretty girls look sad we have to give them candy to make them feel better."

A small sad smile stretched onto her face. It seemed like Ron wasn't completely hopeless. She shook her head and placed the candy back on his palm. "Thank you, but I think you should save that for some other girl that's more special."

Hermione gave a short nod before whispering a short farewell followed by a soft pop. The little boy looked up at his dad and said, "I think we should do something to make her happy."

"I think he's right, dear," Lavender said rubbing her stomach. "It's the least we can do after what we did."

Ron nodded before sighing and rubbing his head at his upcoming headache. Well, this wasn't what he was expecting when he decided to visit his sister.

* * *

Hermione laid on her couch staring at the ceiling in silence. The heartache she felt days ago from Draco's betrayal passed and now there was a sort of numbness taking over. She half resorted to raid her cabinet for any alcohol, but she remembered that she hasn't bought anymore since she started dating Draco. If it was one good thing that came out of dating him was her stop in drinking. Maybe she had some Firewhiskey lying around her apartment somewhere.

A soft knock was heard from her front door and she picked up her head at the sound. For a long moment she stared at it and hoped that the person on the other side will give up and leave her alone. She still didn't want to deal with anybody.

For a fleeting moment she remembered that she hasn't been at work for a couple of days and no word from anybody was sent to her. She mentally shrugged, it's not like anybody was going to miss her, except maybe for Blaise.

Another knock was heard and she sighed before getting up. She figured that they weren't going to give up. It probably was Ginny again trying to get her out of the apartment. When will that woman learn that she just didn't want to be a part of the functionals at the moment? Couldn't she just rot in her home for a while longer?

Hermione ran her hand through her hair and headed towards the door. She closed her eyes in mild irritation as she swung the door open.

"Look, Ginny, I told you before I—," she paused in mid-sentence when she saw who was standing in front of her. Draco scuffled his feet nervously and had his hands shoved in his pockets. His eyes caught with hers and she drew in a breath at how haggard looking he was.

His hair was disheveled and he had bags under his eyes. He looked paler than he usually did and his grey eyes looked dull.

"Hermione, I-I…," he stuttered before pleading with her breathlessly. "Look, I don't know what happened that day. I wasn't myself. Sharon, she did something to me. Slipped me with some kind of potion, I tell you. I know this sounds…"

He trailed off seeing Hermione shake her head. He clenched his hands in his pockets.

"I just can't right now, Draco. I need some more time, alright?" She swallowed down her hatred at the woman's name. She just needed time to think with this new information. It wouldn't be impossible, after all she studied her fair share of lust potions during her days at Hogwarts, but it didn't lessen the pain in her chest.

He nodded his head sullenly. With a sad dejected look, he watched as she slowly closed the door with a soft click.

With a sigh he leaned his back on her door and slid down onto the ground, his legs stretched out in front of him. On the other side, Hermione leaned against her door. At the end of the day, it was Hermione who removed herself from her spot first.

* * *

Sharon gasped sharply as a hand pulled her hair making her chin lift towards the figure towering over her.

"Do you know what your stupidity has done?" Blaise hissed. His eyes narrowed as the red head stayed silent. At least the bitch knew when to stay quiet.

His grip on her hair tightened and he relished at the sight of her wincing in pain. "I should report you for using a potion so carelessly and selfishly. What will the Ministry say when they hear about this?"

"You can't do that. I wasn't doing anything illegal," she gasped out.

"You must have forgotten who I am," he whispered harshly in her ear. "I have just as much connections as Draco does, maybe more. Hermione is a dear friend of mine and you made a _dear_ mistake in messing with her."

She flinched as her back made contact against her wall. This wasn't what she was expecting when she invited him in. She should have known better than to let him step one foot into her home with that smile of his. She truly was foolish for believing that he didn't have a problem with what she did four days ago when he made a show with Draco.

A single finger slid down her cheek and she stared fearfully at the evil glint in his eyes. How could she also forget that he was also a Slytherin through and through?

"Let's see how you feel having no control over your body," with his other hand, Blaise squeezed her cheeks and tipped the vial into her mouth.

He took a step back as he watched her splutter for a second at the horrible taste. Her eyes glazed over and she stood up straight. Blaise let out a smirk of his own that could very well rival with the Malfoys' themselves.

* * *

Hermione pulled her blankets over her head as she tried to ignore the incessant knocking on her front door. Didn't people have other things to do than to bother her?

After her confrontation with Draco, Hermione decided that it was high time to close all of her blinds and sulk in her bed. She tried watching her criminal shoes on her television, but after realizing that she watched all of the episodes she missed and rewatched them at least twice, she decided that going to bed was the next best option.

"Hermione, I know you're in there!" Hermione raised her in surprise at the voice. That definitely was not Draco.

Hermione slowly pulled her blankets away and got out of bed. Walking through her french doors, and her living room, she stood standing in front of her door. She bit her lip as the knocking continued.

"What are you doing here?" She finally said.

The pounding stopped and it stayed silent for a few moments. Hermione hoped that he finally left.

"Hermione, will you please open the door?" He said quietly.

Finally accepting the fact that he wasn't going to leave, Hermione shuffled to the door and unlocked the door only to stare into a pair of blue eyes and shocking red hair.

"Can I come in?" Ron said. Hermione nodded and stepped back to allow him in and closed the door after him.

She watched him look at all the mess in her apartment and avoid eye contact with her. She knew her apartment was a mess, but she couldn't give a fuck about that right now.

"Would like some tea?" Hermione said as she pushed past him and headed to her kitchen. At least that was clean. Well, sort of. There was pile of dishes sitting in the sink, but she figured it could be worse.

She moved around the room and placed a teapot filled with water on her stove. She could have done it with magic, but she wanted to do something with her hands so she could avoid the awkward conversation they were bound to have.

Ron followed quietly and sat down at her kitchen table. Hermione sighed and sat down in front of him. She played with her nails and they both stayed silent.  
Ron was the first to break the silence.

"You know I'm sorry, right?" Hermione looked up from her hands and tilted her head at his comment.

She hummed at this and turned her head to stare at a random spot on a wall. "Why are you here?"

"Hermione," Ron started. "I heard what happened with Malfoy."

She turned back to stare at him and narrowed her eyes at the mention of Draco's name. "Is that why you're here? So you can gloat?"

Ron looked alarmed at her tone. "No! I would never do that!" He exclaimed.

"There's a lot I don't know what you would do anymore," Hermione responded.

"Hermione, you can trust me-"

"No, Ron. I don't trust you!" She snapped. Ron pulled back in surprise and then turned sad, but she didn't care. The frustration, the humiliation, the anger, it started to become too much for her. "You have some nerve coming here, Ron. Especially after all you did! I left you and your _family_ alone so why can't you do the same?"

He flinched when she mentioned that and she felt more anger bubbling inside of her, ready to combust and burn the one who started it all.

"You are all the same! You take and take and take and when you're done, you just throw it away. Everyone wants to be selfish and expects things to be the same. But that's not how it works!"

She started to feel herself become hysterical, but she couldn't stop. Ron placed his hand over hers and she pulled back quickly.

"Hermione, please," he said. "I know what I did was wrong -"

"I don't want you here anymore. Get out!" She said as she stood up quickly.

Ron got up too, but instead of listening to her, he went around the table and started heading towards her.

"I said get out," she said. Her once firm voice getting weaker as she started to back away from him until she hit a wall. A pair of warm arms wrapped around her and he hugged her tightly. She tried to push him away from her, but he tightened his hold on her even further.

"I said get out," she repeated, her voice finally cracking.

"I'm sorry for everything, Hermione. You never deserved any of this," he whispered into her hair.

And that is when she broke. Sliding down onto the ground, with Ron still wrapped around her, she finally let herself cry.

He whispered apology after apology into her hair for that hour until she finally calmed down.

"Please don't give up on Malfoy because of my actions," he said after a couple of moments of silence. All he got in response was a sniff and a tightened hold around his torso.

In the distance they ignored the sound of the teapot blowing.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, Hermione sat at her desk signing away on all the paperwork she found when she walked in the morning. No one bothered to do the work for her and instead it just piled up stack after stack.

Blaise sat on a desk of his own under his own pile on the other side of the room he conjured up when he heard that she came back to work. The room was silent except for the sound of paper shuffling.

"This can't go on any longer!" Blaise slammed his hands on his desk. His chair crashed against the wall behind him as he stood.

Hermione's head flew up in surprise and she stared at him wide-eyed at his sudden shout. She looked at him warily as he walked around his desk and stood in front of hers.

"You both are acting like idiots. It's been almost a month and you both are giving me a headache."

"It's not that easy, Blaise," Hermione went back to her paperwork. Her quill was snatched out her hand and she turned to glare at Blaise.

"Don't give me that look. You and I both know that Draco was under the influence of a potion."

"I know," she said.

"Then what's the problem?" He asked.

"I don't know, Blaise," she bit her lip.

"He's not Weasley." Hermione avoided eye contact. "He would never intentionally hurt you."

"I know," she croaked out.

"What are you afraid of?" Blaise asked gently.

"You know I saw Ron the other day." He blinked at her change of subject, but decided to hear her out. He vaguely remembered when he walked in on her sitting on her floor surrounded with alcohol. She changed the subject then. He noticed she was good at that. "It's been a long time since I saw him at his wedding to Lavender." She stayed silent for a moment before going on. "He has a son. He got her pregnant while we were dating and now she has another one of the way. Ginny's pregnant, too." At this her expression scrunched up in pain. "We always talked when we were in school how it would be great if we somehow got pregnant at the same time. After the war, of course."

There was moment of silence. "You never answered my question. What are you afraid of?" He asked.

"What if I'm not meant to be happy?"

A loud bang made her quickly look up; she saw a hole on the wall next to Blaise. Her eyes strayed to his limp hand that was beginning to bleed. She muttered a quick healing spell with her wand and watched as his hand began to glow before the wound closed up and the blood disappeared.

She watched him for a second before flinching at the glare he directed her with. "Let's go."

"What are you—."

"I said let's go." She quickly got to her feet and followed him to the elevator. She saw him press the top button and her heart began to beat at a furious pace.

"Blaise, where are you taking me?" She turned her head to look at him. "Answer me, Blaise, where are we going?"

"It's time to get this over with. I'm sick and tired of watching you beat yourself to the ground. This is stupid and right now you're being stupid."

She flinched at his words and scrambled after him when the door opened and he began to walk down the hall.

"Blaise," she hissed, her eyes wandering over to the curious workers watching her run after him.

"Please, just let it go. I'll talk to him later. Not now. Please don't do this to me," she begged.

Blaise faltered for a second at her pleading then shook his head. Her heart sunk as she found herself in Draco's office. He was currently on the phone, but when he saw who it was he muttered something quick and hung up.

"What's going on here?" Draco looked at Blaise before settling his eyes on Hermione. Hermione avoided his gaze and ran her hands down her skirt nervously.

"You two are going to stay here until you fix this," Blaise said before turning around and walking out of the office, closing the door after him.

Draco and Hermione stood in the same room for what felt like an eternity. Hermione bit her lip, "I can't do this." She turned to the door and turned the knob only to find that it was locked. She cursed at herself for forgetting her wand on her desk.

"Hermione," She closed her eyes at the sound of his voice, refusing to turn to face him. "Hermione, please, just look at me."

Her body began to shake and she felt her throat begin to close. She was tired of crying, tired of everything. A pair of warm arms wrapped around her frame and she felt a warmth she hasn't felt in over a month. She turned around in his arms and covered her face in his chest letting out heart wrenching sobs.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he muttered into her hair.

They stood like that for a long moment. Her sobs and his apologies filling the air. Finally after what felt like an eternity, she pulled back. Her face was flushed from all the crying and she could feel a headache beginning to form. His hands wiped away the tears on her cheeks with his thumbs.

A sigh escaped his lips and he bent his head causing their foreheads to touch. He looked at her and she felt her heart skip a beat at the familiar look he gave her with his steeled grey eyes.

"You know I love you, right?" Hermione hesitantly nodded and looked to the side of her. He grabbed her face gently and faced her to him. He wanted her to say them back, but didn't press. He traced her cheek lovingly, before sighing, "Could you ever forgive me?"

Silence filled the air for a second until a soft voice took over, "I already did. Maybe…" Hermione pulled herself free and walked to his desk, slightly tracing over a framed picture of Draco and her smiling during their date to the carnival. "Maybe that's why it was so hard for me to take you back. Because if I could forgive you so easily…I just don't want to get hurt anymore."

She felt a hand slide through her hair before sliding down to cup her face. Slowly, she turned and looked up at Draco. Her breath caught in her throat at the intensity that was radiating from his eyes.

She missed looking in those eyes. She missed the way she would become breathless with just one glance from them. She missed how his whole attention on her made her go up in flames.

"Can we start over?" He asked. His pleading eyes bored into her and how could she deny him; deny herself. "Please?" He whispered.

Hermione nodding. She saw Draco's form relax, as if a huge weight was removed, and then found herself in a set of arms again. Her face was against his chest and she inhaled the familiar scent of wood and sand. She wrapped her arms around his form and squeezed in return.

"Finally." He whispered into her hair.

* * *

"What are we doing here?" After their moment in the office, Draco decided that they needed to make up the date that they missed when that whole fiasco started. When she agreed, she thought they were going to go back to their old tradition: head back to her apartment, find something to wear, and then whisk her off to an unknown destination.

Instead, she immediately found herself at the carnival from their first date. Laughter and squeals surrounded her and she found herself smiling as the familiar feeling of happiness began to fill her.

"You said we could start over." Hermione turned her attention from a small child, dragging both of his parents by the hand towards a stand filled with plush dolls, to a pair of intense eyes. "I remember this was where I finally got you to laugh."

Hermione stared at him, unable to say anything as his words washed over her. She swallowed as she saw him bend down to give her a breathless kiss. When he pulled back, she had to force herself to focus. The familiar smirk returned when Draco figured out the effect he had on her.

"Come on. I want some cotton candy before they're all gone." Draco smiled softly at the sound of laughter behind him as he dragged Hermione towards a food stand. He quickly looked behind him and couldn't help but feel a sense of pride knowing that he was the one who brought that glow back onto her face.

* * *

"Sharon quit." Blaise hummed as he scribbled over his report. Draco stood leaning against Blaise's doorframe. He looked at his friend, who was currently ignoring him, and then said casually, "You're lucky she's not suing."

At that, Blaise looked up from his report and had an irritated look. "She's lucky that I didn't do worse to her." Then realizing his mistake, his expression turned into a sheepish one and he rubbed the back of his head. "How'd you know?"

Draco stared at him blankly. "Blaise, I've known you since first year at Hogwarts. I'm pretty sure I know all of your shenanigans."

Blaise gave a snort. "Not as much as you think you do."

"Whatever the case," Draco said. "Thanks."

Blaise shrugged and clicked his pen twice. "Like I was going to let her get away with that. I'll have you know, I've taken a great liking the Granger girl."

Draco shook his head and then looked at him curiously. "What did you do to her anyways?"

Blaise let out wicked smile. "Had her strip down to her knickers in the Ministry's office."

"I bet he enjoyed that."

"Oh, he did. Until, that is, his wife came to visit him for their weekly lunch date. Almost felt sorry for Sharon when the potion wore off and she found herself faced with his wife's rage."

"Did you now?"

"I said almost, didn't I?"

"Right, right."

* * *

Once again, Hermione found herself completely lost for words. They've been taking it slow for the past month and every date has ended with her heading back to her apartment. Until today that is. Tonight, instead of snuggling up in her bed and dreaming about the dates and of Draco, she found herself settling in a large armchair next to a fireplace drinking some tea in Draco's home.

She has never stepped foot into his home and she had to admit, his living room was something to be desired for. From his tall, dark silk drapes to his plush rugs, Hermione felt more at home here than in her own apartment.

Currently, she was lost in her own thoughts as Draco left to retrieve something from his bedroom. It wasn't until the feeling of soft fur, moving between her legs, pulled her out of her thoughts and she noticed a grey cat with piercing honey eyes. She didn't know that Draco owned a one, let alone liked animals. He used to give her grief over Crookshanks (rest his soul) when they were young. Reaching down, she slowly caressed the cat's fur and heard him pur.

"I think he likes you." A soft voice pulled her attention away from the cat and she saw Draco lean casually against the entrance door frame.

"You think?" Hermione said as she pulled her hand back. "What's his name?"

"Carl."

Hermione hummed in approval and then laid her head on her hands as she watched Carl head to Draco for attention. Draco knelt down and rubbed his hand against the back of Carl's ear and the cat closed his eyes in bliss before pushing his head against Draco's hand and walking out of the living room.

"Well then." Hermione chuckled at Draco's perplexed face. He then shrugged and headed towards Hermione's sitting form and sat next to her. The awkwardness was still there. It made her feel a little sad. It used to be so easy before all this happened. It lessened, though, as the days went by, and Hermione no longer had the urge to second guess her decision and head home. She wanted this to work and a part of her didn't fully want to admit it, but every date made her have hope again that maybe happily ever after wasn't so far out of her reach.

"Here." Draco shoved a small velvet box into her hands and she looked at the gift in surprise. _It couldn't be._

Slowly she opened it and found herself staring into a pair of pearl earrings. They were beautiful and so elegant. She vaguely remembered telling him a long time ago that she always wanted a pair of genuine pearl earrings.

The gift was absolutely breathtaking, but still a part of her almost wished...Even after everything that has happened.

"I bought it for you a while back." He said. He felt his cheeks heat up and he coughed into his hand. "I figured now was a good time to give it to you as any."

"I love it," Hermione whispered back. She leaned forward and gave Draco a slow, chaste kiss. Draco was the first to break the kiss and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, making Hermione snuggle up to his side.

They both leaned on each other in silence for a while. Hermione was starting to feel drowsy from the heat of the fireplace and the soft stroke of Draco's hand on her own.

Months later, after a very big surprise, with the help of a particular Weasley family and an over enthusiastic Blaise, she will remember this night as she is surrounded by cheering friends and a crying self.

_"I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I am never letting you go."_

But for now, as she succumbs to sleep, she will believe the whispered promise as nothing more than a dream.

**FIN**

* * *

Thank you everyone who has read this story. I'm trying to get into the habit of writing again and every single review always made my day. Hopefully, you all enjoyed this story as much as I have. It's interesting how what was originally supposed to be a one-shot turned into four chapters. I had to keep adding more information as I kept with the story. Hopefully, this streak keeps going.

If you enjoyed this story, check out my Naruto fanfic between Sakura and Sasuke. It's called _Defense Mechanism. _Maybe you'll enjoy that one as well. I'm currently working on a new idea between Hermione and Severus (as they are my _favorite_ couple in the Harry Potter fanfic world). If you have any ideas, let me know!

À bientôt et bonne nuit!


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